Part 392: Jack of All Shades
Jenny held her gun on the intruder. The masked man pointed his own gun at her. The standoff had only lasted a few seconds but it felt like an eternity. The blonde officer was slightly trembling. If he suspicions were correct; if she was right about who Jack of All Shades was, then she wasn’t sure if a bullet could stop him. “Get out of my house, freak.” She whispered.
“Not until I’ve gotten my answers,” the bandaged man hissed back.
“I SAID GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Jenny screamed, cocking back the hammer on her pistol.
Jack replied by cocking back the hammer on his weapon and held it toward her. “Yes,” he whispered in his dry, crackled voice, “You should kill me. It would make things so much easier for you and your police force.”
“You don’t think I won’t pull the trigger?” she threatened.
“If you were going to pull the trigger, you would have done it by now.” The masked man countered.
“No, the only reason I haven’t pulled the trigger is because I don’t know where the bullet will affect you the most!”
Jack paused for the first time in what seemed like minutes. He tilted his head toward the right, as if he was curious. Jenny couldn’t tell due to his face being in bandages. “Why would you even contemplate such a thing?” he whispered, “ Most normal people would just pull the trigger and aim for my chest.”
“Would that really kill you?” she inquired, “How many times have you been shot?”
Jack was still curious. “Again, why would you ask such a thing?”
“Because I know what you are!”
“And what am I?”
“A JAEGER UNIT!!!” she screamed.
Jack stared at her and it almost seemed like he took a deep breath. He calmly pushed back the hammer and put his gun back into his belt. Jenny stared at him, wondering what he was going to do next. The mysterious stranger then collapsed on his knees. He took another deep breath like he was straining to breathe. “I don’t suppose . . . you know . . .my name, do you?” he asked.
Jenny raised an eyebrow. “How would I know your name?” she asked.
Jack then started to jerk his head and covered his head; making a weird hissing sound. Jenny couldn’t see his face, but she could tell he was crying. She slowly approached him as he wept in her wood floor hallway. “You asked me if I knew you name . . .cause you don’t know, do you?” she whispered.
“None of them knew. None of them remembered. But I remember them. I remember the horror they wrought on us.” Jack whispered.
“Those people you murdered?”
“IT WASN’T MURDER!!!” Jack screamed, “ It’s justice!”
“Look, I know the Dharma people were not saints but this doesn’t justify ending their lives. You could let the system-“
“The System?” the masked man stood up, “Is that supposed to be funny? How could the system punish men and women who have committed crimes against humanity? Do you really think the world would accept modern day NAZIS?”
Jack then slowly turned around. Jenny held her gun back toward him, wondering what he was doing. “The Nazis branded their Jews,” he whispered, reaching up behind his neck, “And we were branded too.”
Jenny looked up and gasped. On the back of Jack’s neck, near the lower half; was the Dharma symbol. It looked like it had been tattooed. However, it was difficult to see due to his blistered skin. The blonde remembered why Raven held a mask over his face; the strange cancerous mutation that kept him alive also kept him disfigured. Only till his rebirth by Watchman, was the process removed. “Jack,” Jenny whispered, “ Were you from the Island?”
Jack leaned his head back and turned around. “I was there . . . for maybe 2 years.” He said, “They said . . .I was special . . .I was accelerated over the other . . .100? Was it one hundred? I don’t remember. All I remember was a life of servitude.”
“Servitude? To who?”
“Ambassador Jordan,” he said, “We were over in Vakizkstan. I had already stopped two assassination attempts. On the third time, they cornered us in a back alley. I tried to get them off of him. But by the time, I had gotten him to safety . . . .I never realized they had soaked me in gasoline.”
“Oh, my god,” Jenny whispered.
“I must . . have scared the living daylights out of them,” Jack chuckled slightly, “There I was . . .ablaze . . .and still fighting them off. They called me Gertoa, which is their word for demon.”
“What happened after that?”
“Jordan . . was shot dead in the streets anyway. As American soldiers put me out, I recovered in a hospital; burned and disfigured. My purpose was over and I had failed. However, I didn’t understand at the time why I didn’t die. Then they came; the Dharma scientists. They said that my . . .”enhancement” . . .kept me alive. They never told me that I would be rendered . . .a freak.”
Jack slowly walked into Jenny’s living room. He walked over to the recliner and sat down, taking off his hat. The blonde officer followed him into the room. Squishface wasn’t hiding under the couch anymore but he wasn’t greeting their guest either. Jenny picked up her loyal dog and sat down on the couch across the living room. She kept her gun by her side as she began to pet the pug dog. “Jack, how old are you?” she asked.
“56 . . . I think,” he whispered.
“Do you have that . ..enhancement that extends your life?”
“Yes . .if you call this life.” Jack then slowly looked at her, “You were there, weren’t you? On the Island.”
“Yes,” Jenny admitted.
“Did you see him? Did you . . .see God?” Jack whispered.
Jenny stared at him curiously. She had no idea what he was talking about. She gently rubbed her mouth, looked at the floor then back at him. “I feel strange asking this, Jack but . . .who is God?” she whispered.
“The machine. The Great Mechanism. The one . ..they called Watchman.”
Jenny felt a gasp leave her throat. The fact that Jack knew the computer by name, proved he was on that Island. She gently stroked Squishface as he rested on her lap. Jenny was filled with questions but she was also thinking of her duty as a police officer. It would seem that her reaction was all Jack of All Shades needed to hear. He slowly looked to the floor.“When I saw you on the docks,” Jack whispered, “Chasing the murderer . .I looked up you in the papers. You were one of them . . .you crashed on the Island . . . Did . .you see any others? Any others like me?”
Jenny sighed and stroked her dog. “Only one,” she whispered, “He is still there.”
“Is . . .is he the old called Raven?” he asked.
“Yes, he . . . “ Jenny then paused as a switch went off in her brain, hearing what Jack had just told her, “ Jack, wait . . .You said, I was chasing the murderer. Do you know who the murderer is?”
“Yes, I know him. He is killing the wrong people for the wrong reasons. He is but one more life I must take before it’s finished.”
“Who is he? Does he have a name?”
“No . . .I don’t know . . .all I know is that he is like me. He is a Jaeger Unit.”
“Why is he killing these women?”
“I don’t know. But it’s wrong and I will stop him.”
“Jack . . .It’s my job to stop him.” Jenny pointed out.
“You would be wise to stay away from him, Jenny.” Jack said, standing up, “ There is no way your law can punish a man who doesn’t want to caught.”
“Jack, who is your next target?”
“Why? So you can protect her? She deserves to die.” The masked man started walking toward the door.
“SHE?” the officer gasped, “Jack, give me a name. I’ll make her go away. We can expose these monsters for what they truly are! We can bring the Hanso Foundation down once and for all!”
“There is no way to bring them down,” the Jaeger Unit glared at her, “The only way to get justice is with a bullet.”
“Jack, please . . .I know what’s it’s like to kill someone. I had to do it to defend myself and someone I love. You don’t want it to blacken your soul.”
“My soul . . . became black the day they turned me into a freak.” He began to open the door.
“Look, you don’t want to do this. I can tell there is a human under that mask-“
“IF YOU THINK THERE IS A HUMAN UNDER THIS MASK, then you haven’t been listening!!!!” Jack screamed back at her, “I will have my revenge . . .one way or another.”
Jack finally opened the door and proceeded to walk out. Jenny watched him walk out into her lawn and then make her way toward the street. As he did, a bus was coming down the road. Within seconds, he made a leap onto the top of the bus and road on the back; like some horror movie phantom. Jenny watched him leave, wondering what she should do. She was duty bound to arrest him but she felt differently about it. She saw a lot in Raven in that masked man. If Raven had the chance to go after the people who locked him away in an underground hatch for fifty years. However, now she had a bigger task ahead of her.
She knew for a fact now that the murderer they were chasing was performing extraordinary feats because he was genetically enhanced super-human. Jenny had no idea how she was going to explain that to her fellow officers.
“Not until I’ve gotten my answers,” the bandaged man hissed back.
“I SAID GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Jenny screamed, cocking back the hammer on her pistol.
Jack replied by cocking back the hammer on his weapon and held it toward her. “Yes,” he whispered in his dry, crackled voice, “You should kill me. It would make things so much easier for you and your police force.”
“You don’t think I won’t pull the trigger?” she threatened.
“If you were going to pull the trigger, you would have done it by now.” The masked man countered.
“No, the only reason I haven’t pulled the trigger is because I don’t know where the bullet will affect you the most!”
Jack paused for the first time in what seemed like minutes. He tilted his head toward the right, as if he was curious. Jenny couldn’t tell due to his face being in bandages. “Why would you even contemplate such a thing?” he whispered, “ Most normal people would just pull the trigger and aim for my chest.”
“Would that really kill you?” she inquired, “How many times have you been shot?”
Jack was still curious. “Again, why would you ask such a thing?”
“Because I know what you are!”
“And what am I?”
“A JAEGER UNIT!!!” she screamed.
Jack stared at her and it almost seemed like he took a deep breath. He calmly pushed back the hammer and put his gun back into his belt. Jenny stared at him, wondering what he was going to do next. The mysterious stranger then collapsed on his knees. He took another deep breath like he was straining to breathe. “I don’t suppose . . . you know . . .my name, do you?” he asked.
Jenny raised an eyebrow. “How would I know your name?” she asked.
Jack then started to jerk his head and covered his head; making a weird hissing sound. Jenny couldn’t see his face, but she could tell he was crying. She slowly approached him as he wept in her wood floor hallway. “You asked me if I knew you name . . .cause you don’t know, do you?” she whispered.
“None of them knew. None of them remembered. But I remember them. I remember the horror they wrought on us.” Jack whispered.
“Those people you murdered?”
“IT WASN’T MURDER!!!” Jack screamed, “ It’s justice!”
“Look, I know the Dharma people were not saints but this doesn’t justify ending their lives. You could let the system-“
“The System?” the masked man stood up, “Is that supposed to be funny? How could the system punish men and women who have committed crimes against humanity? Do you really think the world would accept modern day NAZIS?”
Jack then slowly turned around. Jenny held her gun back toward him, wondering what he was doing. “The Nazis branded their Jews,” he whispered, reaching up behind his neck, “And we were branded too.”
Jenny looked up and gasped. On the back of Jack’s neck, near the lower half; was the Dharma symbol. It looked like it had been tattooed. However, it was difficult to see due to his blistered skin. The blonde remembered why Raven held a mask over his face; the strange cancerous mutation that kept him alive also kept him disfigured. Only till his rebirth by Watchman, was the process removed. “Jack,” Jenny whispered, “ Were you from the Island?”
Jack leaned his head back and turned around. “I was there . . . for maybe 2 years.” He said, “They said . . .I was special . . .I was accelerated over the other . . .100? Was it one hundred? I don’t remember. All I remember was a life of servitude.”
“Servitude? To who?”
“Ambassador Jordan,” he said, “We were over in Vakizkstan. I had already stopped two assassination attempts. On the third time, they cornered us in a back alley. I tried to get them off of him. But by the time, I had gotten him to safety . . . .I never realized they had soaked me in gasoline.”
“Oh, my god,” Jenny whispered.
“I must . . have scared the living daylights out of them,” Jack chuckled slightly, “There I was . . .ablaze . . .and still fighting them off. They called me Gertoa, which is their word for demon.”
“What happened after that?”
“Jordan . . was shot dead in the streets anyway. As American soldiers put me out, I recovered in a hospital; burned and disfigured. My purpose was over and I had failed. However, I didn’t understand at the time why I didn’t die. Then they came; the Dharma scientists. They said that my . . .”enhancement” . . .kept me alive. They never told me that I would be rendered . . .a freak.”
Jack slowly walked into Jenny’s living room. He walked over to the recliner and sat down, taking off his hat. The blonde officer followed him into the room. Squishface wasn’t hiding under the couch anymore but he wasn’t greeting their guest either. Jenny picked up her loyal dog and sat down on the couch across the living room. She kept her gun by her side as she began to pet the pug dog. “Jack, how old are you?” she asked.
“56 . . . I think,” he whispered.
“Do you have that . ..enhancement that extends your life?”
“Yes . .if you call this life.” Jack then slowly looked at her, “You were there, weren’t you? On the Island.”
“Yes,” Jenny admitted.
“Did you see him? Did you . . .see God?” Jack whispered.
Jenny stared at him curiously. She had no idea what he was talking about. She gently rubbed her mouth, looked at the floor then back at him. “I feel strange asking this, Jack but . . .who is God?” she whispered.
“The machine. The Great Mechanism. The one . ..they called Watchman.”
Jenny felt a gasp leave her throat. The fact that Jack knew the computer by name, proved he was on that Island. She gently stroked Squishface as he rested on her lap. Jenny was filled with questions but she was also thinking of her duty as a police officer. It would seem that her reaction was all Jack of All Shades needed to hear. He slowly looked to the floor.“When I saw you on the docks,” Jack whispered, “Chasing the murderer . .I looked up you in the papers. You were one of them . . .you crashed on the Island . . . Did . .you see any others? Any others like me?”
Jenny sighed and stroked her dog. “Only one,” she whispered, “He is still there.”
“Is . . .is he the old called Raven?” he asked.
“Yes, he . . . “ Jenny then paused as a switch went off in her brain, hearing what Jack had just told her, “ Jack, wait . . .You said, I was chasing the murderer. Do you know who the murderer is?”
“Yes, I know him. He is killing the wrong people for the wrong reasons. He is but one more life I must take before it’s finished.”
“Who is he? Does he have a name?”
“No . . .I don’t know . . .all I know is that he is like me. He is a Jaeger Unit.”
“Why is he killing these women?”
“I don’t know. But it’s wrong and I will stop him.”
“Jack . . .It’s my job to stop him.” Jenny pointed out.
“You would be wise to stay away from him, Jenny.” Jack said, standing up, “ There is no way your law can punish a man who doesn’t want to caught.”
“Jack, who is your next target?”
“Why? So you can protect her? She deserves to die.” The masked man started walking toward the door.
“SHE?” the officer gasped, “Jack, give me a name. I’ll make her go away. We can expose these monsters for what they truly are! We can bring the Hanso Foundation down once and for all!”
“There is no way to bring them down,” the Jaeger Unit glared at her, “The only way to get justice is with a bullet.”
“Jack, please . . .I know what’s it’s like to kill someone. I had to do it to defend myself and someone I love. You don’t want it to blacken your soul.”
“My soul . . . became black the day they turned me into a freak.” He began to open the door.
“Look, you don’t want to do this. I can tell there is a human under that mask-“
“IF YOU THINK THERE IS A HUMAN UNDER THIS MASK, then you haven’t been listening!!!!” Jack screamed back at her, “I will have my revenge . . .one way or another.”
Jack finally opened the door and proceeded to walk out. Jenny watched him walk out into her lawn and then make her way toward the street. As he did, a bus was coming down the road. Within seconds, he made a leap onto the top of the bus and road on the back; like some horror movie phantom. Jenny watched him leave, wondering what she should do. She was duty bound to arrest him but she felt differently about it. She saw a lot in Raven in that masked man. If Raven had the chance to go after the people who locked him away in an underground hatch for fifty years. However, now she had a bigger task ahead of her.
She knew for a fact now that the murderer they were chasing was performing extraordinary feats because he was genetically enhanced super-human. Jenny had no idea how she was going to explain that to her fellow officers.
posted by Jason | 10:14 AM
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